Fighting the Noble War, Part 2

It is consistent with false teachers, false elders, false pastors, false prophets and apostates that they attack the person, the work and the preaching and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will do that because they are energized by Satan and Satan's attack is against God and His Christ. They are agents of Satan. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. If you were to ask a hundred people what they know about spiritual warfare, you might get a reference to any number of Hollywood productions or to works of art that portray the devil with horns and dragon-like wings and a pitchfork. But the true nature of spiritual warfare is much more subtle and more dangerous than you may realize.

In fact, if you're a Christian, you are likely to face serious battles simply by sitting down to study God's Word. You'll see what I mean as John MacArthur looks at how Satan operates and what it takes to overcome spiritual assault. The title of John's series here on Grace to You, Spiritual Warfare. John will be in the book of 1 Timothy today, so turn there if you're able. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, I want to read those verses for you beginning at verse 18. This command, I commit unto thee, Son Timothy, according to the prophecies which pointed to thee, that thou by them might fight a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience which some, having put away, have made shipwreck of the faith, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Now the key phrase that we note is at the end of verse 18, fight a good warfare, or fight a noble warfare. And we reminded you last time that Paul is calling Timothy to the awareness that he is engaged in a war. Now Paul knew about this intimate warfare, and he calls Timothy here in 1 Timothy chapter 1 to the same conflict, to be aware that he is engaged in a serious spiritual battle. In fact, he calls Timothy to fight on the front lines. In effect, Timothy's task as outlined in chapter 1 is to confront the false pastors, false elders, false leaders, false teachers in the church at Ephesus and surrounding areas, no doubt, confronting both their doctrine and their ungodly practice. Paul knew it wasn't an easy task, and even though he had given Timothy instruction as to that task when he was with Timothy in Ephesus, he now writes him a letter reinforcing that because he knows it is a difficult task. And he calls Timothy in these three verses by way of a summary to fulfill that task as if he were a front line soldier called to a very hot part of the battle to do something very essential for the matter of victory for the whole army. So these three verses sum up Timothy's responsibility and accountability to this matter of fighting a noble warfare. Now Timothy, as I said, does not have an easy task because in the church at Ephesus there has come an encroaching group of leaders who are the agents of Satan, and they are sowing false doctrine everywhere, and they are not only advocating error, but they are advocating evil.

They may not be overtly advocating evil, but that's the way it comes out. They are advocating an untrue doctrine and an ungodly lifestyle. And so Timothy is called to deal with this, and it's a difficult thing. He's not dealing with someone down the line in terms of spiritual responsibility, but with leaders.

Now just to remind you of what the issues were, let me remind you of basically two things. They were attacking the truth, that is they were attacking sound doctrine, and they were attacking godliness. Notice, for example, in chapter 2, it seems as though they were even attacking the person of Christ by what Paul says to Timothy in verse 5 of chapter 2. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. For this I am ordained a preacher and an apostle.

I speak the truth in Christ and lie not a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. Now apparently from that we can ascertain that there was some kind of an attack on the mediatorship of Christ, some kind of attack on the sufficiency of Christ, some kind of attack on the work of Jesus Christ. We find it again indicated in chapter 3 verse 16. He says it is without controversy that the mystery of godliness is a great mystery. It is unarguable that the mystery of God in human flesh, which is what he means, the mystery of God coming in human flesh is a profound mystery. It is a great mystery.

And this is that mystery. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the nations, believed on in the world and received up into glory. And there he sort of chronicles the life and work of Christ and again seems to be saying, look, this is difficult but this is the truth, the incarnation of God in Christ. And then we find also in chapter 6 in verse 13, or verse 14 rather, he speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of verse 14. Then in verse 15 he says, which in his times he shall show, and then describes Christ as the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who only has immortality, that makes him God, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man has seen, nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting.

Amen. In other words, affirming and asserting the deity of Jesus Christ. So apparently the deity of Christ was under attack. The person of Christ was under attack. The incarnation of God in Christ was under attack. The sufficiency of Christ as the mediator was under attack. An attack on Christ. Furthermore, it was not only an attack on Christ but an attack also on the saving gospel of Christ. Back in chapter 1, instead of the gospel, instead of true doctrine in verse 4, it says these false teachers were teaching fables or Jewish myths, endless genealogies which don't do anything but serve to raise questions rather than answers.

They bring no godly edification at all. They're not according to the true faith. Verse 5, they don't have a good conscience and unfeigned faith. They are a turning aside.

They are a swerving. He further says they not only pervert the gospel but they pervert the law. Verse 7, they think themselves to be teachers of the law.

The truth is they have no idea what they're saying or what they're affirming so dogmatically. So they were attacking the saving gospel of Christ. Verse 15 of chapter 1, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, as if some were not accepting it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. They may have been advocating some salvation only for the legalistic elite, salvation only for those who can keep a certain standard. And so again we see them attacking the gospel. Further, that verse 17, the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever is again an affirmation of the true God.

All of these things speak about an attack against sound doctrine. And we find in chapter 2 that it is good and acceptable in verse 3, in the sight of God our Savior who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Perhaps they were denying the sufficiency of salvation for all men. Perhaps they were denying the availability of salvation for all men. And in chapter 4 verse 1 it says they were teaching doctrines of demons that came from seducing spirits and causing some to depart from the true faith, the faith that alone saves. Verse 2, they were speaking lies in hypocrisy.

And so Timothy is enjoined repeatedly in this epistle to preach sound teaching as over against the unsound teaching. So here were these men who had risen to the heights of leadership and they were teaching lies, teaching lies about Christ, teaching lies about his saving gospel and they were in a place of authority with all the right credentials. If you looked at the Los Angeles Times one day there was an article on the front page in the left hand lead column, an article chronicling a meeting together of supposedly all the New Testament scholars and they were going to vote on whether what Jesus said was really true.

They were going to vote on that as if that's something that you are supposed to vote on. What is so sad about that is that these are all people who have masqueraded as teachers of the New Testament and who know not what they teach nor the God of whom they speak. But they have no right in the world to vote on the veracity of the words of Jesus Christ. To even assert that such is necessary is to attack the credibility of the Word of God and the Christ of God. And that is in exact terms what their intent is. They are attacking the truth of Christ and the truth of the saving gospel. It is consistent with false teachers, false elders, false pastors, false prophets and apostates that they attack the person, the work and the preaching and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will do that because they are energized by Satan and Satan's attack is against God and his Christ.

And so it comes in the mouth of false teachers. They are not just well-meaning souls who have slipped a little in their understanding. They are agents of Satan.

Now the second thing that we see in 1 Timothy is not only an attack on the truth about Christ and His work, but an attack on the virtue of life, that is godly living and biblical morality. Back in chapter 1 verse 5, it says that they are not those who experience love and a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned. They don't have any integrity of character.

They're not pure. Their consciences are not clear and a clear conscience is the result of a pure life, a pure heart. But they've turned aside from those things and they may well be being described in verses 9 and 10 as lawless, disobedient, ungodly sinners, unholy, profane murderers of fathers and mothers, manslayers, fornicators, homosexuals, kidnappers, and liars, perjurers, and so forth.

Their morality matched their doctrine. It was as in error as was their theology. They, like those of whom we read in verse 19, had shipwrecked the faith.

They in verse 20 had blasphemed, that is to speak evil of the true God. In chapter 2 we find from verses 8 to 10 that women had substituted outward adornment for inward godliness. And verse 10 says they would rather provide godliness with good works than outward array. We find also in chapter 4 that Paul reminds Timothy that he is to be a good minister and he is to nourish up in the words of faith and good doctrine to which he's attained and then refuse their profane and old wise fables. And then this, and to exercise yourself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things.

Their preoccupation is with the external and the outward and the physical. And he says you better put yourself in line to exercise that which leads to godliness. Now remember I told you that godliness is a key word in the pastoral epistles. Chapter 5 we find the same thing in verse 11. There were younger widows who were wanton against Christ. Verse 12, they threw away their first faith. Verse 13, they were idle, they were going around from house to house instead of staying in their own homes and doing what they were called as women of God to do.

They were tattlers or tail bearers, busy bodies speaking things they shouldn't. And verse 15, some already turned aside after Satan and that has to do with their behavior. And even some of the leaders of course were leading in this and that's why they needed to be disciplined as he goes on to speak of that in chapter 5. Chapter 6 verse 1 speaks of the name of God not being blasphemed nor His doctrine being blasphemed which indicates that there were some blasphemous things going on.

There were all kinds of arguments. Verse 4, disputes, envy, strife, railing, evil suspicions, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, supposing that money is godliness. But godliness with contentment is great gain. In other words, they had perverted doctrine and purity of life.

That's the point and that's where the attack was coming. So you have two things, error and evil. Error and evil. And Timothy is called to confront this at high places. In fact, if you look at chapter 3, the first 15 verses deal with the qualifications for a leader. Those are not put in a vacuum. They're not just dropped in here without any relation to context. They're here because they're put in as a contrast.

They're put in as a contrast. There were all kinds of people, verse 1, desiring the office of overseer. There were many people who wanted to be in spiritual leadership. It says here they desire the office of an overseer. In chapter 1, it said they desired to be teachers of the law.

They wanted to be teachers and leaders. But he says you can't put them there unless they have these qualifications. And I believe they're contrastive. They must be blameless rather than sinful and vile like the ones that you have. They must be one-woman men rather than the men who are preoccupied with multiple women. They must be temperate and sober-minded and good behavior as opposed to those who are not that are in leadership.

See, all of that is contrastive. In chapter 5, verse 17 and following, he says when you find those that aren't what they ought to be, you need to discipline them publicly before the whole church. So Timothy has a real job. He needs to excise out all these false leaders, get them out of the church, discipline them in the church, call them to an account, call the people to rally around the truth of God's revelation and godly living, and that's not an easy task. Now in the midst of this fiery conflict, what is it that Timothy has to understand? Well, he has to understand his responsibility and his accountability to three sources, the church, the Lord, and then to the blasphemers or enemies themselves. First of all, and for Timothy and us as well, we learned the same lesson here.

In order to win, in order to fight the noble fight the way it ought to be fought, we have to first understand our responsibility and accountability to the church. And that's what he says to Timothy off the beginning of verse 18. This command, I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which pointed to you, that by them you might fight a noble warfare. So the first thing is Timothy's responsibility and accountability to the church.

Now let me show you what I mean by that. Paul says this, I command you, you have been entrusted, and prophecies have confirmed that you're to fight this noble war. Now all of those refer to the church. Paul, as an apostle in the church, commands Timothy to carry out a commission given to him by that same apostle and confirm by those who had the gift of prophecy in the church.

He has a responsibility to those within the church who were led by the Spirit of God to call him into the ministry to fulfill that ministry. First of all, let's look at the command. The word charge and the authorized is command. It refers to a military command, a military command. It's used in chapter 1 in that way. It's used here that way. It is a military command.

It is not something that is discussed. It is something that is given as an order to be carried out. Timothy is under military obligation.

This is not isolated. Chapter 5 verse 21, Paul says, using a different Greek term but the same meaning, 521, I command you, speaking to Timothy, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things. Now that's pretty strong stuff. I command you and I hold you accountable to God and Christ and the holy and elect angels. Chapter 6 verse 12, he says, fight the good fight, and so forth. And then in verse 13, I command you and here he does use the same word as in chapter 1, I command you in the sight of God who makes all things alive. Then verse 14, that you keep this commandment without spot and unrevealable until the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he is commanding Timothy like a general would command a colonel.

He is commanding him to do this. Now I love that because this puts Timothy's responsibility in the category of duty, duty. Now when I say that word, immediately I realize there are many people that don't understand that. Duty, that's not a word we like to talk about. We don't know anything about that today. In Christianity we know about freedom. We know about spiritual success. We talk about joy and peace. We talk about fulfillment. We talk about sort of satisfaction from the spiritual end. It was very indulgent but we know very little about duty, very little about duty. And you have a duty to worship God, be faithful.

I mean whatever happened to just doing your duty, just fulfilling your spiritual disciplines for the glory of God? Paul knew much of that. Acts 26 he says, when I was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ on the Damascus road, he's giving his testimony to Agrippa. He says, oh Agrippa, I was not disobedient to that heavenly vision.

And that heavenly vision was basically a command from the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, Paul, basically I have made you a minister and an apostle to the Gentiles. And he says, I was not disobedient.

Paul knew all about duty. Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel, 1 Corinthians 9. I am duty bound. I am under divine obligation to use my gift and fulfill my calling. You remember back in Exodus chapter 4 when God gave his duty to Moses and Moses started a equivocating and backing out and bowing down and saying, oh, I can't do that. I can't do this.

I can't speak and so forth and so on. And the Lord was very angry with Moses because he wanted to shirk that which was a divine duty. God gave that duty to Isaiah. God gave that duty to Jeremiah. God gave that duty to Ezekiel. God gave a duty to Jonah. You remember what Jonah did with his duty?

He went the other direction and wound up in a disaster because of it. Look at Ezekiel 33, and I'll show you something I think is sad but true. It reflects on this same thought. You remember what Paul said to Timothy, preach the word be instant what?

In season, out of season. That means when it's welcome and when it's not welcome, whether they like it or don't like it. And I want you to see what is really a sad thing. Ezekiel 33, verse 30, Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. The people are all getting together and saying, well, let's go down here, that prophet. Boy, that poor guy's down there giving that message from the Lord. Let's go down and hear him. They're really not for him. They're against him, it says, but they want to go down and hear him. He's a novelty. So let's go hear him.

Let's hear what he has to say. And so verse 31, They come unto thee as the people come, and they sit before thee as My people. So you've got a mixed multitude. You've got the ones who are there and they're taken in the Word of God, and then you've got these others. And they sit there and they hear your words but they will not do them. They're not interested in responding.

They won't do them. With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their covetousness. They're interested in their bank account and their stocks and bonds and houses and cars and land and growth and success and worldly things. And with their mouth, oh, they tell you such nice things. Wonderful sermon, Pastor.

Great. Oh, we just enjoy it. But they don't do what you say. And you are unto them as a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument. I mean, it's very nice for they hear your words but they don't do them.

They like to hear you. Oh, you're a curiosity, Ezekiel, but they don't do what you say. He preached his whole ministry to people like that. But he preached faithfully.

Why? Because he was under command. He was under command. Now back to 1 Timothy, that's exactly what Paul is saying to him. I command you.

And on what basis? On the basis of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I speak for God.

I command you. And men don't listen today. There were some surely in the Ephesian church that didn't listen and there are many today who won't listen. Isaiah 6, God said to Isaiah, they won't listen, their eyes will be blind, their ears will be deaf, their hearts will be fat and they won't listen.

And it's true. You preach your heart out and you preach your heart out and they don't listen. In fact, preaching today is somewhat depreciated, especially if you just preach the Bible all the time.

But the command to Timothy was very simple. The command is to fight the noble war against the foes identified with Satan and that's going to be using the Word of God. And that's why all the way through the epistle he says you've got to nourish up and sound doctrine. So you have a command.

In spite of what men say, in spite of what their faces look like, in spite of the fact they come along, shake your hand, say how nice you are, think you sound great and don't do what you say, you keep doing it. And you call for the duty that God would have you call for. Using biblical truth and clearly proclaiming that truth to others, those are essentials for victory in spiritual warfare. That's the title of John MacArthur's current study here on Grace to You, Spiritual Warfare.

And along with teaching here on radio, John also serves as chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary in Southern California. Now John, you talked today about Timothy's call to be a pastor and a preacher, and that raises a question that we hear from time to time from some of our listeners. They're wondering how to know if God is calling them to preach.

And so maybe you could shed some light on that. How would you respond to a young man who asks you that question? I have responded to that so many times through my life, and the answer is really simple, and I go back to Timothy as the model of that. Timothy had been recognized by the leaders of the church as gifted and suited for ministry.

And you remember the Apostle Paul system, there was a laying on of the hands of the presbytery. You need to live up to the gift that God has given you, which is confirmed by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. So I would say to a young man, as I have so many times, do you feel that this is what you want to do with your life more than anything else?

Is this a dominating thing in your life so that it's as if there was no second option? I look at that from the standpoint that if you think you could do something else and it's kind of a tough decision to make, go do something else because you wish you had, because ministry is tough. But if it is a strong desire, if a man desires the office of an elder or an overseer or a pastor, he desires a noble thing.

So it starts with a driving heart desire. And then secondly, it's when the elders of the church come and say, by the way, we want to encourage you in that desire because we see your giftedness. There are some people who are going to say, I want to preach, I want to preach, and everybody who hears them says, no, I don't think you want to do that. So you have to have the desire, the burning and driving desire, but it also has to be confirmed by the people around you who affirm you on two levels. One, the character of your life and the capability of your gift. So listen to the leaders of the church.

At the Master Seminary, no student can come there to be trained unless the church affirms the giftedness of that young man. And friend, if you're thinking about going into ministry or if you just want to lead your family better, I would encourage you to get John's book titled, Called to Lead. Right now, during our fall sale, it's 25% off the normal price. To place your order, contact us today. Our number here, 800-55-GRACE, or go to our website, gty.org.

Called to Lead looks at 26 leadership lessons from the life of the Apostle Paul, showing you how to lead by example, how to defend your integrity, how to handle adversity, and much more. To order, call toll-free, 800-55-GRACE, or visit our website, gty.org. And keep in mind, Called to Lead is one of hundreds of resources currently available at 25% off the regular price. So now is a great time to pick up the MacArthur Study Bible, as well as books like The Gospel According to Jesus, Anxious for Nothing, The Glory of Heaven. Take advantage of our reduced prices available for a limited time.

Maybe you can do some Christmas shopping now. To place your order, call 800-55-GRACE, or shop online at gty.org. Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson, reminding you to watch Grace to You television this Sunday. Check your local listings for Channel and Times, and then be here tomorrow when John continues to look at how you can defend yourself against Satan's attacks. Don't miss the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's proof, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.